THE GREAT BURGUNDIES: WHY IS THE 2016 HARVEST LOOKING COMPLICATED?
Every year harvest time is a little like playing poker, what with the variable weather conditions experienced during the year and the day to day forecasts in the autumn. The 2016 harvest is a critical moment for our vines.
What is their current state of health?
Generally speaking, the vines are in good sanitary condition. The winegrowers comment : The vines are looking pretty good. After the frosts we had to persevere, and constantly monitor the grapes’ evolution to maintain their condition, and effectively the vines were subject to a high risk of mildew May and June. But fortunately July and August were dry, which was largely responsible for saving the rest of the harvest.
Now veraison (the moment when the grapes change colour) is complete.
That said, when you look more closely the situation is more complex, as the frosts had a big impact on maturities.
“You can see that some vines are bearing ripe fruit, and others not. This discrepancy was caused in spring, when the buds were developing. The morning of Wednesday 27th April was hit by a hard frost, when some buds froze, but others continued their normal development, resulting in bunches that are now more advanced. And at the side of the frostbitten buds, new secondary buds developed”.
